The Yobe State High Court sitting in Damaturu has sentenced Abubakar Sadiq Abubakar to 37 years over a N29 million fraud involving the delivery of tons of sorghum to customers in Potiskum town of the state.

According to the Court, the suspect had been serially defrauding many victims through fake procurement deals in supplying sorghum to them.

The judgment was delivered over the weekend by Justice Lawu Lawan of the Yobe State High Court on April 23rd 2026, following prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate.

The convict, Abubakar, was found guilty on four counts, bordering on obtaining by false pretence, forgery and criminal misappropriation.

The court also heard that Abubakar, who posed as a Procurement Officer of BUA Foods Plc, allegedly convinced his victims to part with the sum of N29,175,000 for the supposed supply of 38.9 metric tonnes of white sorghum.

Prosecuting counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, told the court that five witnesses and multiple documents were presented before the court to establish how the accused person used forged agreements, receipts and company documents to perpetrate the fraud.

The defendant, however, had pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial in court.

Delivering the judgement on Thursday in Damaturu, Justice Lawu Lawan handed down the varying prison terms for the four counts, with options of fines ranging from N5,000 to N100,000.

Justice Lawan also ordered the convict to refund the full sum of N2.2 million to the victims or face an additional 10-year jail term in prison.

According to the court’s findings, Abubakar’s fraud scheme began in 2023 in Potiskum, when the convict approached the victims and falsely claimed an affiliation with BUA Foods Plc, issuing what it described as “fake documents to support the criminal deal.”

Justice Lawan noted that the victims paid the money but never received the goods as agreed in the fake documents of supplies.

The EFCC said the conviction underscored the ongoing efforts to curb procurement fraud and protect businesses from financial crimes in the region comprising six states in the country..